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For additional reading, psychologist
Heidi Limbrunner and clinical social
worker Kristen McClure recommend
the following books and articles:
Books
• "Gratitude Works! A 21-Day
Guide to Creating Emotional
Prosperity" by John Emmons
• "Happiness: The Nature and
Nurture of Joy and Contentment"
by Dr. David Lykken
Articles
• "The Economics of Happiness" by
Richard Easterlin. www-bcf.usc.
edu/~easterl/papers/Happiness.pdf
• "Our Brain's Negative Bias" by Hara
Estroff Marano. www.psychologytoday.
com/articles/200306/our-
brains-negative-bias
Limbrunner, McClure Websites
• www.southeastpsych.com
• www.charlotte-anxiety-and-
depression-treatment.com
us more likely to healthfully cope
with stress. I remind parents that
they are role models, and they want
to set a good example for their kids
about the importance of self-care.
Taking time for yourself likely makes
you a better person and parent."
Be Aware of 'Negativity Bias'
Research shows the human
brain reacts more strongly to
stimuli it deems negative. This
is an evolutionary phenomenon
based on the need to survive out
in the wild, says McClure.
"Times have changed but we have
to retrain our brains to focus on the
positive," she explains. "We can get
up in the morning and witness a
beautiful sunrise and savor a crois-
sant and a cup of coffee, but if we
spill the coffee or if our children
are late for the bus, we'll quickly
forget the sunrise and the croissant
and focus on the bad things that
happened. By being mindful and
shifting our focus, we can retrain
our brain to accept the negative
but remember the positive."
Limit Social Media, News
The media you ingest can also affect
your outlook, McClure says. "News
is around 24/7 and can be inherently
overwhelming and depressing. Be selec-
tive and don't tune into news all day."
Similarly, limit or get off social media
all together, she adds. "Social media is
a relatively new phenomenon whose
effects are still being tested. But what
we're seeing so far is that being on
social media decreases happiness.
We compare our lives to the artificial
lives portrayed on social media, and
we feel isolated and it encourages
us to not have real relationships."
Some people may be negatively wired
or have bad things happen to them, but
Limbrunner and McClure believe most
individuals can learn to handle life's ups
and downs and not let things become
overwhelming. "Every day," McClure
advises, "make an effort to try and
focus your mind on the good stuff."
Want to Learn More?
BALLANTYNE
WINTER
2017-2018
72
Feature